BY KARINA FLORES
Showing support for the applicants who filed into the auditorium to attend their own naturalization ceremony and receive their certification of citizenship, a banner made by students hung in front of the auditorium reading “Boone Welcomes New Citizens”.
On April 11, the Reservation hosted their first United States naturalization ceremony for 100 people from 34 countries as part of Law Week, a national Bar Association program in April that celebrates the rule of law in our society. The year’s theme is “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All”. Orange County School Board Chairman and former Orange County Bar Association President Bill Sublette acted as the keynote speaker to honor the new citizens.
Attorney Teresa Finer, the head of the immigration department at Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, coordinated with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Orange County Bar Association with a goal, not only to grant people from all over the world citizenship, but offer students and the community an opportunity to witness people from all over the world become fellow American citizens and to promote understanding about the processes involved in immigration in days where immigration law is being debated in the forefront in national politics.
Finer enlisted help from Law Magnet teachers, Kim Davison and Laura Crolla, and geography teacher Suzanne Unger to invite students to attend and experience the ceremony. Finer deems the event a success attracting an audience that filled the auditorium, including students and teachers alongside the applicants’ family and friends.
“I loved it. It was truly meaningful and I could tell the students thought so too. The ceremony gave students and the community a chance to experience a sense of patriotism. I could tell the audience was touched and am glad so many showed up to watch,” Finer said.
Students who attended felt the emotion in the room as people walked one by one across the stage, certificate in hand, as American citizens for the first time. Senior Shaffaq Noor is president of the Serendipity Club which promotes unity and understanding among different cultures. Noor felt the ceremony exemplifies the club’s message.
“This ceremony was beautiful. It showed that we can all live in unity and peace. There were people from all different countries out there today so excited to become a part of this community and they were so proud to be an American,” Noor said.
Noor has not yet started the process to become an American citizen, moving here from Pakistan as a young child, but is now inspired by the ceremony to begin as soon as possible.
Family and friends presented the newly sworn-in citizens with red, white and blue-themed gift bags, flower bouquets and balloons. There was a sense of patriotism and unity that filled the room. One applicant, Anastasia Ladanyi, tearfully expressed her appreciation for the ceremony and recognition.
“This ceremony is very special. When I began the process, I thought I was going to go to an office a Friday afternoon and receive my certificate, but this meant a lot to me. I was able to represent my country and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Ladanyi said.
Ladanyi was assigned a number by the Hungarian government,37, out of hundreds of applicants and chosen at random to be able to apply for American citizenship from her native country, Hungary.
Others have been living in the U.S. for years, but have waited or have been completing the long process to be naturalized. One man from Haiti said it was the last thing he needed to become a part of his family, who are all naturaLized citizens.
The ceremony ended with applause, hugs and endless picture-taking.
Finer hopes the ceremony opens discussion between students, teachers and the community to promote equality and help others accomplish the “American Dream”.